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Fugitives arrested

FBI agents nab Ludowici couple in Maryland

By Lewis Levine
Contributing Writer

POSTED:December 11, 2007 7:19 a.m.

Law enforcement authorities arrested a Ludowici couple Friday night in connection with a shooting Tuesday in Jesup that left two men dead and two others injured, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.William Howard Powell, 26, and his wife, Shanmila Melissa Powell, 30, were arrested by agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation without incident at about 9:30 p.m. in Laurel, Md., GBI Special Agent Mike McDaniels said.The couple had reportedly been under surveillance by the FBI, and were taken into custody after authorities initiated a traffic stop.It was also noted the couple had taken their two children, ages 8 and 18 months, with them to Maryland but had dropped them off with family prior to their arrest.The two suspects are being detained at the Prince George County Jail and are expected to be returned to Georgia.

BackgroundMaj. Glenn Takaki of the Jesup Police Department said evidence found during the investigation prompted warrants for the couple’s arrest.McDaniels said the warrants were for murder, two for aggravated assault and one for armed robbery.Although he wouldn’t go into detail, McDaniels said it appears the shooting may have been the result of a botched armed robbery.Jesup police found two bodies along with the two men who were wounded after responding to a call about gunfire shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday in a Jesup neighborhood.“This was not a random act of violence,” Takaki said. “These individuals knew each other.”Killed were Jesse Evans Jr., 60, of 350 Hunter Circle in Jesup, and Hinesville resident Donovan Scott, who was in his mid-30s, Takaki said.They were the third and fourth homicides reported this year within the Jesup city limits.One of the wounded was Geno Evans, 29, who shared the Hunter Circle house with his father, Jesse Evans.The younger Evans was listed in stable condition late Wednesday afternoon at Wayne Memorial Hospital in Jesup.The other wounded man was identified as Antonio Cunningham, 30, of Jesup, who was taken to Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah. He was listed in critical condition late Wednesday.Crime-scene tape Wednesday cordoned off the single-family Evans home that sits on a quiet stretch of a dirt road. Agents from the GBI were at the home collecting evidence. No one would explain why the GBI had been called to the scene.Asked if narcotics were involved, Takaki said he could not answer any other questions, pending completion of the investigation.Anyone with information about the shootings is urged to call the Jesup Police Department at (912) 427-1300, the GBI at (404) 270-8805 or (912) 729-6198 or the Brunswick FBI at (912) 265-2560.